Furniture top construction



K. D. SCHREY ER April 22, 1969 FURNITURE TOP CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Oct. 23, 1965 Sheet 2 of 5 /00 F I 6. 3 L 30 0/ /0)3 T .1. .IJUUH' v 7 ll Sheet April 22, 1969 originaimled om. 23. 1965 April 22, 1969 K. D. SCHREY ER 3,

FURNITURE TOP CONSTRUCTION ori inal Filed cm. 23, 1965 Sheet 4 of 5 United States Patent US. Cl. 52-624 14 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention is directed to a furniture top including a flat top plate, an edging extending around the periphery of the top plate and disposed adjacent to the underside thereof, the edging having an inwardly extending attachment flange and a dependent side flange on the outer edge thereof disposed outwardly with respect to the periphery of the top plate, welds interconnecting the attachment flange and the top plate at points spaced inwardly with respect to the outer periphery thereof, a reinforcing sheet of ribbed construction disposed beneath the top plate and within the edging and having a layer of adhesive disposed therebetween, welds being provided between the top plate and the reinforcing sheet and the attachment flanges to mount the reinforcing sheet in place, the side flange of the edging extending downwardly a distance at least equal to the distance that the reinforcing ribs are disposed from the top plate, a decorative trim being provided around the periphery of the top plate and having a mounting tongue extending inwardly into the space between and grippingly engaging the underside of the top plate and the upper side of a mounting flange on the attachment flange 0f the edging, and a pair of spaced apart mounting channels disposed beneath the underside of the top plate and extending in the general direction of the reinforcing ribs.

This application is a division of the co-pending application, Ser. No. 503,157, filed Oct. 23, 1965 for Desk Construction, now Patent No. 3,363,955.

It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved furniture top for use on desks and the like, the furniture top including a top plate and a reinforcing sheet of ribbed construction secured together by welding to provide high strength, flatness and good sound qualities in the top.

In connection with the foregoing object, another object of the invention is to provide a furniture top of the type set forth wherein an adhesive layer is disposed between the top plate and the ribbed reinforcement sheet to provide good sound deadening qualities in the furniture top.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved furniture top of the type set forth having on the underside thereof front and rear mounting channels to which all other furniture structures are connected, and to provide an improved nut and channel fastener construction for connecting the furniture parts to the mountin g channels.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in a furniture top of the type set forth an improved trim structure and an improved structure for mounting the trim on the furniture top.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangement of the parts whereby the above-outlined and additional features thereof are attained.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of construction, together with other objects and advantages, will best be understood by reference to the following 3,439,466 Patented Apr. 22, 1969 specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a prespective view of a single pedestal desk incorporating therein a furniture top made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the desk of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the desk of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the desk illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 5 is a view of the underside of the top of the desk of FIG. 3 substantially as seen in the direction of the arrows along the line 5-5 thereof, certain portions being broken away and the trim and covering thereon removed;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section through the desk top of FIG. 5 along the lines 6-6 thereof;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section through the desk top of FIG. 5 along the line 7-7 thereof;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view with certain portions broken away of a corner of the desk top of FIGS. 1 to 4, a portion of the trim being shown in dashed lines in the position thereof immediately prior to installation thereof;

FIG. 9 is a further enlarged view in vertical section similar to FIG. 6 and illustrating specifically the interconnection between the desk top and the pedestal front frame;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view in horizontal section with certain portions broken away along the line 10-10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a still further enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section of the portion of the desk top within the circle 11 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a still further enlarged view in vertical sec tion along the line 1212 of FIG. 8 and illustrating the mounting of the trim on the edge of the desk top; and

FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12 and showing a modification of the trim construction.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1 to 4 thereof, there is illustrated a piece of furniture incorporating therein a furniture top made in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention, a lefthand single pedestal desk having been shown for purposes of illustration. The desk 100 includes a desk top 101 at one end of which is disposed a pedestal supported by a pair of legs 500 having associated feet 520, the pedestal 150 having mounted therein a shelf a box drawer 210 and a file drawer 270, the shelf 190 being provided with a pull 190P, the box drawer 210 being provided with a pull 210P and the file drawer 270 being provided with a pull 2701 Mounted on the other end of the desk top 101 is an end panel 450' supported by a pair of legs 550 having associated feet 570, the space between the pedestal 150 and the end panel 450 at the rear of the desk top 101 being closed by a back panel 400; as may be best seen in FIG. 3, the back panel 400 is provided with a pair of Wiring openings 415 for the reception of telephone wires and the like. There further is mounted on the desk top 101 a center drawer 380 and a depending front wall or skirt 390, a lock 360 being provided in substantially the center of the front edge of the desk top 101 to lock the several drawers 210, 270 and 380.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 to 13 of the drawings, additional details of construction of the desk top 101 will be described. As is best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the desk top 101 includes a generally flat top plate 102 that is generally rectangular in shape, the corners thereof being rounded, the periphery of the top plate 102 being essentially the same as the periphery of the desk top 101. Disposed beneath the top plate 102 and extending around the periphery thereof is an edging 103 also formed of sheet metal, a substantially flat piece of sheet metal having been deformed to provide an attachment flange 104, a side flange 105, a mounting flange 106, a bottom flange 107 and an upturned flange 108. More specifically, the attachment flange 104 is disposed against the underside of the top plate 102 but is spaced inwardly with respect to the outer edge thereof, the outer edge of the attachment flange 104 carrying thereon the mounting flange 106 which is offset downwardly away from the underside of the top plate 102 and extends outwardly slightly beyond the outer edge thereof. As illustrated, the side flange 105 is integral with the mounting flange 106 and depends therefrom and extends slightly inwardly toward the center of the top plate 102, the flange 105 making an angle of for example 75 with respect to the mounting flange 106. The bottom flange 107 is disposed on the lower edge of the side flange 105 and extends inwardly substantially parallel to the flanges 104 and 106 and carries on the inner end thereof the upturned flange 108 that extends upwardly toward the top plate 102 and is disposed substantially normal thereto and to the bottom flange 107. Preferably the edging 103 is formed of two pieces secured to the top plate 102 by welding at the attachment flange 104 and the abutting edges of the edging 103 located substantially at the midpoints of the shorter top sides are also welded to form seams therebetween. By reference to FIG. it will be seen that the attachment flange 104 is cut out as at 109 at the corners of the table top 101 to permit bending of the remaining portions thereof without providing overlapping of the attachment flanges 104.

Also disposed on the underside of the top plate 102 is a reinforcing sheet 110 formed from a substantially flat piece of sheet metal bent to provide attachment portions 111, ribs 112 having side walls 113, and connecting portions 114 at the periphery thereof. The attachment portions 111 are disposed toward the underside of the top plate 102, there being a body of mastic 115 applied therebetween (see FIG. 11), the preferred mastic being a heat curing mastic sold under the trademark Presstite No. 719. The attachment portions 111 are further connected to the top plate 102 by welding as at 116, the heat from the welding operation curing the mastic whereby both the mastic 115 and the weld 116 serve to interconnect the attachment portions 111 and the top plate 102 to provide a firm connection therebetween, the mastic also serving to deaden sound transmission therebetween. The side walls 113 depend downwardly from the attachment portion 111 to form the ribs 112 which are spaced from the underside of the top plate 102. The connecting portions 114 are offset from the underside of the top plate 102 to accommodate therebetween portions such as the attachment flange 104 on the edging 103, the three layers mentioned being connected as by welding at 116.

Also mounted beneath the top 101 are two longitudinally extending and substantially parallel and spaced apart mounting channels 120, each mounting channel 120 including a longitudinally extending main wall 121 and a pair of depending side flanges 122 carrying on the lower ends thereof respectively inturned holding flanges 123. As will be explained in detail hereinafter, all of the other parts of the desk 100 are mounted upon the desk top 101 by means of the mounting channels 120.

Disposed on the upper surface of the top plate 102 is a covering 125, preferably formed of a synthetic organic resin, the preferred materials being those sold under the trademarks Textolite, Micarta and Formica. An adhesive is applied both to the upper surface of the top plate 102 and to the lower surface of the covering 125 to provide a good bond therebetween, the

preferred adhesive being a synthetic rubber resin adhesive of the contact type such as that sold under the trademark D500 by the Armstrong Cork Co., the two parts being oven "heated to about 200 F. to drive off the volatile ingredients in the adhesive. The outer edge of the covering extends slightly beyond the outer edge of the top plate 102 (see FIGS. 9 and 12). The upper outer corner being slightly beveled as at 126.

To complete the desk top 101, a decorative trim is provided therearound (see FIGS. 8, 9 and 12 particularly). In a first preferred form of the trim 130, it comprises a length of extruded aluminum metal including a decorative body 131 having a rounded or curved outer surface 132 extending from adjacent to the upper surface of the covering 125 and downwardly below the upper edge of the edging 103 and terminating in the bottom edge 133. Integral with the body 131 is a neck 134 from which extends an integral mounting tongue 135, the tongue being concavely curved as viewed in FIG. 12 and having an inner end 136 disposed against the undersurface of the top plate 102. As constructed, the neck 134 and the mounting tongue 135 both lend resiliency to the trim at the respective points indicated and, as is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 8, the trim 130 is installed upon the desk top 101 by progressively urging the mounting tongue 135 into the space defined between the outer edge of the top plate 102 and the mounting flange 106 on the edging 103. Preferably before installation the mounting tongue 135 has a curvature such that the thickness thereof as viewed in FIG. 12 is greater than the space between the top plate 102 and the flange 106, whereby the mounting tongue 135 must be resiliently deformed upon insertion into that space, whereby the neck 134 and the inner end 136 are pressed against the underside of the top plate 102 while the lower surface of the mounting tongue 135 presses against the upper surface of the mounting flange 106. The resilient neck 134 also accommodaates a small amount of movement between the trim body 131 and the mounting tongue 135, thereby to accommodate slight variations in the abutment between the body 131 and the covering 125, preferably the body 131 having an inwardly directed sharp edge 137 that bears into the covering 125 slightly below the upper surface thereof at the bevel 126.

There is illustrated in FIG. 13 of the drawings a modification of the trim, it being noted that the covering 125 also has a notch 126A at the periphery thereof in lieu of the bevel 126 described above with respect to FIG. 12. The trim 130A illustrated in FIG. 13 is preferably formed of sheet metal, the preferred material being stainless steel, which is bent to provide an outer wall 131A, a top flange 132A, a bottom flange 133A, a curved portion 134A, a mounting tongue 135A and an inner end 136A. As illustrated, the outer Wall 131A is disposed essentially vertically and carries on the upper edge thereof the top flange 132A that extends inwardly and slightly upwardly from the outer wall 131A and abuts against the edge of the covering 125 at the notch 126A. The lower edge of the outer wall 131A extends downwardly at least to the top of the edging 103 and carries on the lower end thereof the bottom flange 133A that extends inwardly toward the space formed between the top plate 102 and the mounting flange 106. The curved portion 134A extends upwardly from the bottom flange 133 to bear against the undersurface fo the top plate 102 and the mounting tongue 135A extends downwardly therefrom and presses against the upper surface of the mounting flange 106, and the inner end 136A is integral therewith and extends upwardly to cont-act the underside of the top plate 102. Prior to the mounting of the trim 130A and in the normal condition thereof, the curved portion 134A and the mounting tongue 135A and the inner end 136A combine to provide a thickness or vertical extent greater than the distance between the top plate 102 and the flange 106, whereby in the driving of the mounting tongue 135A thereinto, the tongue 135A is resiliently deformed with the curved portion 134A and the inner end 136A being resiliently pressed against the underside of the top plate 102 and the mounting tongue 135A being resiliently urged against the upper surface of the flange 106, thereby resiliently to hold the trim 130A in the mounted position around the periphery of the desk top 101.

As has been mentioned heretofore, all of the other structures combining to form desk 100 are secured to the desk top 101 through the mounting channels 120 on the underside thereof. There is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and of the drawings the details of an improved nut 140 particularly useful for engagement with bolts, it being understood that the nut 140 is not generally accessible to the workmen during assembly with the associated desk bolts. As is best seen in FIG. 10, the nut 140 has the outline of a rhombus having parallel longer sides 141 and parallel shorter side 142 connected by rounded acute corners 143 and rounded obtuse corners 144. As illustrated, the distance between the sides 141 is slightly less than the distance between the inner edges of the flanges 123, whereby the nut 140 can be inserted therebetween at any point therealong, and the corners 143 are adapted to engage the side flanges 122 of the mounting channels 120 to limit the rotation of the nut 140 with respect thereto. The underside of the nut 140 also has the outer ends cut away as at 145 to provide edges 146 spaced apart a distance slightly less than the distance between the inner edges of the holding flanges 123, whereby the edges 146 depend downwardly along the adjacent inner edge of the associated holding flange 123 also to provide abutment therewith when necessary. Disposed essentially centrally of the nut 140 is a threaded opening 147 threadedly to receive therethrough a threaded shank such as the shank 148 of the bolt 149 as illustrated.

Fundamentally the desk 100 is formed of sheet metal with the exception of the several parts mentioned during the above description. Furthermore, the sheet metal forming the various parts is of relatively light gauge, as will be appreciated from the following examples of the gauge of the sheet metal utilized to form various parts of the desk 100. For example, in a typical illustrative embodiment of the desk top 101, the top plate 102 is formed of gauge steel, the edging 103 is formed of 18 gauge steel, reinforcing sheet 110 is formed of 24 gauge steel and the mounting channel 120 is formed of 18 gauge steel.

The details of construction of the remaining parts of the desk 100 are set forth in the above-mentioned co-pending application Ser. No. 503,157, now Patent No. 3,363,955, and the description of those parts set forth therein is incorporated in its entirety in this application by reference.

From the above description it will be seen that there has been provided an improved furniture top comprising a top plate and a reinforcing sheet of ribbed construction secured together by welding to provide high strength and flatness and further being provided with an adhesive layer therebetween to provide good sound qualities therefor. The improved furniture top further is provided with a nut and channel fastener construction for mounting all of the desk parts on the mounting channels; in addition, an improved trim extending around the periphery of the furniture top has been provided.

While there have been described what are at present considered to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A furniture top comprising a substantially flat top plate, an edging extending around the periphery of said top plate and disposed adjacent to the underside thereof, said edging including an inwardly extending attachment flange and a dependent side flange on the outer edge thereof disposed outwardly with respect to the periphery of said top plate, means interconecting said attachment flange and said top plate at points spaced inwardly with respect to the outer periphery of said top plate, a unitary reinforcing sheet disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and being substantially coextensive with the area of said top plate and within said edging, said reinforcing sheet including a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced apart attachment portions disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and a plurality of longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs disposed between adjacent pairs of said attachment portions and spaced from the underside of said top plate, the transverse dimension of each of said ribs being substantially greater than the transverse dimension of each of said attachment portions, and means securing each of said attachment portions to the adjacent section of the underside of said top plate and to the underside of the adjacent one of said attachment flanges.

2. The furniture top set forth in claim 1, wherein said top plate and said edging and said reinforcing sheet are all formed of sheet metal, said attachment flange and said top plate are interconnected by welding, and each of said attachment portions is secured to the adjacent section of the underside of said top plate and the underside of the adjacent one of said attachment flanges by welding.

3. The furniture top set forth in claim 1, wherein the side flange of said edging extends downwardly a distance at least equal to the distance that said reinforcing ribs are disposed from said top plate.

4. A furniture top comprising a substantially flat top plate, an edging extending around the periphery of said top plate and disposed adjacent to the underside thereof, said edging including an inwardly extending attachment flange and a dependent side flange on the outer edge thereof disposed outwardly with respect to the periphery of said top plate, means interconnecting said attachment flange and said top plate at points spaced inwardly with respect to the outer periphery of said top plate, a unitary reinforcing sheet disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and being substantially coextensive with the area of said top plate and within said edging, said reinforcing sheet including a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced apart attachment portions disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and a plurality of longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs disposed between adjacent pairs of said attachment portions and spaced from the underside of said top plate, the transverse dimension of each of said ribs being substantially greater than the transverse dimension of each of said attachment portions, a body of mastic disposed between each of said attachment portions and the adjacent section of the underside of said top plate, and means in addition to said mastic bodies for securing each of said attachment portions to the adjacent section of the underside of said top plate and to the underside of the adjacent one of said attachment flanges.

5. A furniture top comprising a substantially flat top plate, an edging extending around the periphery of said top plate and disposed adjacent to the underside thereof, said edging including an inwardly extending attachment flange and a dependent side flange on the outer edge thereof disposed outwardly with respect to the periphery of said top plate, means interconnecting said attachment flange and said top plate at points spaced inwardly with respect to the outer periphery of said top plate, a unitary reinforcing sheet disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and being substantially coextensive with the area of said top plate and within said edging, said reinforcing sheet including a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced apart attachment portions disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and a plurality of longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs disposed between adjacent pairs of said attachment portions and spaced from the underside of said top plate, the transverse dimension of each of said ribs being substantially greater than the transverse dimension of each of said attachment portions, means securing each of said attachment portions to the underside of said top plate and to the adjacent section of the underside of the adjacent one of said attachment flanges, a pair of spaced apart mounting channels disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and extending in the general direction of said reinforcing ribs, and means fixedly securing said mounting channels to said top plate.

6. The furniture top set forth in claim 5, wherein said reinforcing ribs have an extent in a direction perpendicular to said top plate substantially greater than the extent of said mounting channels in a direction perpendicular to said top plate.

7. A furniture top comprising a substantially flat top plate, an edging extending around the periphery of said top plate and disposed adjacent to the underside thereof, said edging including an inwardly extending attachment flange and a mounting flange integral with said attachment flange and extending outwardly therefrom and offset away from said top plate and carrying on the outer edge thereof a dependent side flange disposed outwardly with respect to the periphery of said top plate, means interconnecting said attachment flange and said top plate at points spaced inwardly with respect to the outer periphery of said top plate, a unitary reinforcing sheet disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and being substantially coextensive with the area of said top plate and within said edging said reinforcing sheet including a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced apart attachment portions disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and a plurality of longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs disposed between adjacent pairs of said attachment portions and spaced from the underside of said top plate, the transverse dimension of each of said ribs being substantially greater than the transverse dimension of each said attachment portions, a body of mastic disposed between each of said attachment portions and the adjacent section of the underside of said top plate, means in addition to said mastic bodies for securing each of said attachment portions to the adjacent section of the underside of said top plate and to the underside of the adjacent 'one of said attachment flanges, a pair of spaced apart mounting channels disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and extending in the general direction of said reinforcing ribs, means fixedly securing said mounting channels to said top plate, a covering for said top plate extending over the entire upper surface thereof and secured thereto, and a trim extending around the periphery of said top plate, said trim including a mounting tongue extending inwardly into the space between and grippingly engaging the underside of said top plate and the upperside of said mounting flange and a decorative body integral with said mounting tongue and extending around the periphery of said top plate and covering the outer edge of said top plate and at least a portion of the outer edge of said covering.

8. A furniture top comprising a substantially flat top plate, a unitary reinforcing sheet disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and being substantially coextensive with the area of said top plate, said reinforcing sheet including a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced apart attachment portions disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and a plurality of longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs disposed between adjacent pairs of said attachment portions and spaced from the underside of said top plate, the transverse dimension of each of said ribs being substantially greater than the transverse dimension of each of said attachment portions, and means securing each of said attachment portions to the adjacent section of the underside of said top plate.

9. A furniture top comprising a substantially flat top plate, a unitary reinforcing sheet disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and being substantially coextensive with the area of said top plate, said reinforcing sheet including a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced apart attachment portions disposed adjacent to the underside of said top plate and a plurality of longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs disposed between adjacent pairs of said attachment portions and spaced from the underside of said top plate, a body of mastic disposed between each of said attachment portions and the adjacent section of the underside of said top plate, the transverse dimension of each of said ribs being substantially greater than the transverse dimension of each of said attachment portions, and means in addition to said mastic bodies for securing each of said attachment portions to the adjacent section of the underside of said top plate;

10. The furniture top set forth in claim 5, wherein said mounting channels depend downwardly from said top r plate, and the dependent side flange of said edging extends downwardly well below said mounting channels.

11. A furniture top comprising a substantially flat top plate, an edging extending around the periphery of said top plate and disposed adjacent to the underside thereof, said edging including an inwardly-extending attachment flange and a mounting flange integral with said attachment flange and extending outwardly therefrom and offset away from said top plate and carrying on the outer edge thereof a dependent side flange disposed outwardly with respect to the periphery of said top plate, means interconnecting said attachment flange and said top plate at points spaced inwardly with respect to the outer periphery of said top plate, a covering for said top plate extending over the entire upper surface thereof and secured thereto, and a trim extending around the periphery of said top plate, said trim including a resilient mounting tongue having a curved portion with a lateral thickness exceeding the distance between said top plate and said mounting flange, said mounting tongue being inserted between said top plate and said mounting flange to tend to flatten said curved portion, whereby said curved portion grippingly engages the underside of said top plate and the upperside of said mounting flange, and a decorative body integral with said mounting tongue and extending around the periphery of said top plate and covering the outer edge of said top plate and at least a portion of the outer edge of said covering.

12. The furniture top set forth in claim 11, wherein said trim is in the form of an extruded strip of metal including said mounting tongue integral with said decorative body.

13. The furniture top set forth in claim 11, wherein said trim is in the form of a metal sheet bent to form said mounting tongue and said decorative body integral therewith.

14. The furniture top set forth in claim 11, wherein said mounting tongue includes a further curved portion curved in a direction opposite to said first-mentioned curved portion, one of said curved portions bearing against the underside of said top plate and the other of said curved portions bearing against the upperside of said mounting flange.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,137,623 11/1938 Mussey 219-92 2,605,157 7/1952 Reitzel 52-623 2,906,574 9/1959 Bullock 312194 3,183,049 5/1965 Erickson 312-195 3,222,113 12/ 1965 Hamilton 312195 3,258,892 7/1966 Rushton 52-615 3,327,658 6/1967 Schreyer 52623 3,339,504 9/1967 Schreyer 52-623 CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

